Upon googling my name the other day, I was very proud to see the real me, my pictures, my blog, my blog's facebook page - all in the first several pages of the results. However, on the second page I saw this: an underwhelming recap of final high school wrestling match ever. Just in case it ever gets pulled off the interwebs, I will copy and paste the story below:
Cinnaminson Stages Rally, But Falls Short To Cherokee
CINNAMINSON — Before last night's nonleague wrestling match with Cherokee, Cinnaminson honored recently retired coach Doug Cunningham, and it bid farewell to its seniors.
The senior-laden lineup almost delivered a dramatic win.
After falling behind by 26-15, Cinnaminson got a pair of close wins from Tim Robinson and Ryan Scarduzio, and senior Jim Robinson registered a quick pin at 215 pounds to draw the Pirates to within five points.
But Cherokee's Al Darrah controlled Shaun Fraser in the heavyweight bout on the way to a 4-1 decision, and the Chiefs held off the resilient Pirates, 35-27.
``I'm proud of the whole team. It was a total team effort,'' Cherokee coach Dave Chambers said after his team improved to 11-8. ``I knew coming in it was going to be a really tough match. He [Cinnaminson coach T.J. McStravick] has them really fired up.''
Looming large in the outcome was the 135-pound match, in which a potential 12-point swing occurred. Still fighting the effects of the flu, Cherokee's Mike Taylor was deposited on his back in the middle of the first period and spent the rest of the period locked in a Jim Duba cradle.
However, Duba had to settle for three back points when he couldn't get the pin. And in the second period, a rejuvenated Taylor took Duba down early and pinned him in just 41 seconds. Instead of taking a commanding 21-10 lead, the Pirates wound up on the short end of a 16-15 score.
The Chiefs also got a big win at 140 when Mike Watson edged Bill Hughes, 6-4. In the match, Hughes, who was filling in for Rob Kaczak (flu), let Watson escape three times. He yielded another point late in the match when he was hit with a stall.
Cinnaminson (10-5) stayed close through the light and middle weights thanks to pins by Sal Simonetti-Rayca (103) and Fred Barone (130). After Cherokee took control of the match with four consecutive victories, the Pirates rallied.
Tim Robinson held on for a 7-6 win over Josh Merlino at 160, and in perhaps the feature match of the night, Scarduzio took Jim Letchford down 33 seconds into the overtime period after the two had dueled to a 5-5 tie.
However, Doug Easlick pushed the Cherokee lead to 11 points with a pin at 189, and Darrah was never seriously threatened in the heavyweight bout after Jim Robinson's pin at 215 gave the Pirates a chance to send off their seniors in dramatic fashion.
The results
103: Sal Simonetti-Rayca (CI) pinned Steve Shaffer, 1:02. 112: Harry Morad (CH) pinned Greg Reymann, 5:40. 119: Wes Roach (CI) maj. dec. Matt DiMasi, 11-2. 125: Ted Seemuller (CI) dec. Dustin Roach, 4-2. 130: Fred Barone (CI) pinned Nick Altieri, 1:37. 135: Mike Taylor (CH) pinned Jim Duba, 2:41. 140: Mike Watson (CH) dec. Bill Hughes, 6-4.
145: Jon Pike (CH) maj. dec. Jon DiMasi, 18-10. 152: Chris Bryski (CH) dec. Chris Anderson, 12-6. 160: Tim Robinson (CI) dec. Josh Merlino, 7-6. 171: Ryan Scarduzio (CI) dec. Jim Letchford, 7-5 OT. 189: Doug Easlick (CH) pinned Chris Szetenderowicz, 1:50. 215: Jim Robinson (CI) pinned Brian Crane, 1:18. Hwt.: Al Darrah (CH) dec. Shaun Fraser, 4-1.
I wonder if I won that match if I would have been the story in the paper. I earned a 4 year varsity award for wrestling along with Ryan Scarduzio. We were the first recipients of that for a year or two. Ryan was pretty good. I wasn't. But I had the knowledge. My freshman year, I rarely won. My sophomore year, had a few scattered victories. Junior year, I tore my MCL on the first practice but came back in about 6-7 weeks. I had the infamous Duba Vs. Duda matchup. I also developed a major pain in my back that I tried to work through. Same in my senior year, but it was really bad then. I wore two back braces while I wrestled, plus my new brace, and I could barely walk on days I wasn't on the adrenaline rush of a wrestling match.
What else bothers me about this article is that the times I ever won a match, there was never an article about it, not even a sentence that included my name with other winners. In the record section for the newspaper, my wins always had my name spelled wrong: Kim Duba, Oim Duba, Dim Juba, Im Uba - for real? My picture was in the paper once or twice though. I did like that, but I don't think I have those clippings anymore.
When I had that kid in the cradle on his back, I looked over and saw the Cherokee coach throw his clipboard in the air in disgust. My home crowd was going BERSERK. I never experienced anything like that. I looked over at coach TJ who shrugged his shoulders like I had the pin and just to wait for it. I looked into the crowd and saw Coach Cunningham who was screaming for me to reposition, and score enough points. He made me feel like I could get a technical fall in the first period alone (scoring 15 points more than the opponent at any time). Possibly. However, due to my back, I couldn't pull or push this kid any way I wanted. I was stuck. If I let go, I surely would get painfully wallopped and embarassed.
I remember that was our second to last match for the season. I hadn't done too well, losing my spot several times to a sophomore. I had a team mentality, but unfortunately also a losing mentality. Coach TJ was trying to figure out what to do with the lineup, practically giving me a spot in districts since I was a senior, but I wanted what was best for the team. I approached coach and Ray (who was also the 135 lb wrestler who was beating me) and suggested I get to take the Cherokee match as my last match as a senior. I am not well enough to last a tournament. Ray is healthy and has a better shot. So, the deal was done, and I was pumped.
That one night has always been one of those legacy type memories to me that probably most everybody else forgets. I wish I had the strength back then that I have today. I wish my back felt back then how it feels now. I could've done things. The year started pretty good for me. Returning to the Varsity lineup as a last seed in a tournament. I demolished a kid in 45 seconds, then took the number one seed to the limit. He came up to me afterwards, told me that his match with me wore him out and he finished 3rd or 4th. I had also completed a wrestling camp at the Naval Academy that summer. But the back pain got worse and worse every day. I would fall out of bed just so I could get my feet on the ground.
I am not trying to make excuses for my wrestling career. It's just that if I had only that ONE win that ONE night, it would have all been worth it. It was still worth it, for the lessons coach Doug Cunningham taught me that I take with me still to this day. I don't seek glory. I get it through this blog. I just wish I had it on that one night. Oh well. I get some pretty good glory every day when I come home to my apartment where my family anxiously awaits my return.
The senior-laden lineup almost delivered a dramatic win.
After falling behind by 26-15, Cinnaminson got a pair of close wins from Tim Robinson and Ryan Scarduzio, and senior Jim Robinson registered a quick pin at 215 pounds to draw the Pirates to within five points.
But Cherokee's Al Darrah controlled Shaun Fraser in the heavyweight bout on the way to a 4-1 decision, and the Chiefs held off the resilient Pirates, 35-27.
``I'm proud of the whole team. It was a total team effort,'' Cherokee coach Dave Chambers said after his team improved to 11-8. ``I knew coming in it was going to be a really tough match. He [Cinnaminson coach T.J. McStravick] has them really fired up.''
Looming large in the outcome was the 135-pound match, in which a potential 12-point swing occurred. Still fighting the effects of the flu, Cherokee's Mike Taylor was deposited on his back in the middle of the first period and spent the rest of the period locked in a Jim Duba cradle.
However, Duba had to settle for three back points when he couldn't get the pin. And in the second period, a rejuvenated Taylor took Duba down early and pinned him in just 41 seconds. Instead of taking a commanding 21-10 lead, the Pirates wound up on the short end of a 16-15 score.
The Chiefs also got a big win at 140 when Mike Watson edged Bill Hughes, 6-4. In the match, Hughes, who was filling in for Rob Kaczak (flu), let Watson escape three times. He yielded another point late in the match when he was hit with a stall.
Cinnaminson (10-5) stayed close through the light and middle weights thanks to pins by Sal Simonetti-Rayca (103) and Fred Barone (130). After Cherokee took control of the match with four consecutive victories, the Pirates rallied.
Tim Robinson held on for a 7-6 win over Josh Merlino at 160, and in perhaps the feature match of the night, Scarduzio took Jim Letchford down 33 seconds into the overtime period after the two had dueled to a 5-5 tie.
However, Doug Easlick pushed the Cherokee lead to 11 points with a pin at 189, and Darrah was never seriously threatened in the heavyweight bout after Jim Robinson's pin at 215 gave the Pirates a chance to send off their seniors in dramatic fashion.
The results
103: Sal Simonetti-Rayca (CI) pinned Steve Shaffer, 1:02. 112: Harry Morad (CH) pinned Greg Reymann, 5:40. 119: Wes Roach (CI) maj. dec. Matt DiMasi, 11-2. 125: Ted Seemuller (CI) dec. Dustin Roach, 4-2. 130: Fred Barone (CI) pinned Nick Altieri, 1:37. 135: Mike Taylor (CH) pinned Jim Duba, 2:41. 140: Mike Watson (CH) dec. Bill Hughes, 6-4.
145: Jon Pike (CH) maj. dec. Jon DiMasi, 18-10. 152: Chris Bryski (CH) dec. Chris Anderson, 12-6. 160: Tim Robinson (CI) dec. Josh Merlino, 7-6. 171: Ryan Scarduzio (CI) dec. Jim Letchford, 7-5 OT. 189: Doug Easlick (CH) pinned Chris Szetenderowicz, 1:50. 215: Jim Robinson (CI) pinned Brian Crane, 1:18. Hwt.: Al Darrah (CH) dec. Shaun Fraser, 4-1.
I wonder if I won that match if I would have been the story in the paper. I earned a 4 year varsity award for wrestling along with Ryan Scarduzio. We were the first recipients of that for a year or two. Ryan was pretty good. I wasn't. But I had the knowledge. My freshman year, I rarely won. My sophomore year, had a few scattered victories. Junior year, I tore my MCL on the first practice but came back in about 6-7 weeks. I had the infamous Duba Vs. Duda matchup. I also developed a major pain in my back that I tried to work through. Same in my senior year, but it was really bad then. I wore two back braces while I wrestled, plus my new brace, and I could barely walk on days I wasn't on the adrenaline rush of a wrestling match.
What else bothers me about this article is that the times I ever won a match, there was never an article about it, not even a sentence that included my name with other winners. In the record section for the newspaper, my wins always had my name spelled wrong: Kim Duba, Oim Duba, Dim Juba, Im Uba - for real? My picture was in the paper once or twice though. I did like that, but I don't think I have those clippings anymore.
When I had that kid in the cradle on his back, I looked over and saw the Cherokee coach throw his clipboard in the air in disgust. My home crowd was going BERSERK. I never experienced anything like that. I looked over at coach TJ who shrugged his shoulders like I had the pin and just to wait for it. I looked into the crowd and saw Coach Cunningham who was screaming for me to reposition, and score enough points. He made me feel like I could get a technical fall in the first period alone (scoring 15 points more than the opponent at any time). Possibly. However, due to my back, I couldn't pull or push this kid any way I wanted. I was stuck. If I let go, I surely would get painfully wallopped and embarassed.
I remember that was our second to last match for the season. I hadn't done too well, losing my spot several times to a sophomore. I had a team mentality, but unfortunately also a losing mentality. Coach TJ was trying to figure out what to do with the lineup, practically giving me a spot in districts since I was a senior, but I wanted what was best for the team. I approached coach and Ray (who was also the 135 lb wrestler who was beating me) and suggested I get to take the Cherokee match as my last match as a senior. I am not well enough to last a tournament. Ray is healthy and has a better shot. So, the deal was done, and I was pumped.
That one night has always been one of those legacy type memories to me that probably most everybody else forgets. I wish I had the strength back then that I have today. I wish my back felt back then how it feels now. I could've done things. The year started pretty good for me. Returning to the Varsity lineup as a last seed in a tournament. I demolished a kid in 45 seconds, then took the number one seed to the limit. He came up to me afterwards, told me that his match with me wore him out and he finished 3rd or 4th. I had also completed a wrestling camp at the Naval Academy that summer. But the back pain got worse and worse every day. I would fall out of bed just so I could get my feet on the ground.
I am not trying to make excuses for my wrestling career. It's just that if I had only that ONE win that ONE night, it would have all been worth it. It was still worth it, for the lessons coach Doug Cunningham taught me that I take with me still to this day. I don't seek glory. I get it through this blog. I just wish I had it on that one night. Oh well. I get some pretty good glory every day when I come home to my apartment where my family anxiously awaits my return.
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